Giacomo

How bad was the mileage? 7-8 mpg or more like Chris' 13 mpg?

This year's club races will likely be Mid-Ohio, Glen and Mosport and then perhaps something in the fall budget permitting. I last resided in Ontario.

Racin44

Been towing with a 2004 Durango Limited, 5.7 Hemi for almost 150,000 miles. Mostly an 18' open steel trailer with a 350Z on it. The truck has been great for that, but the mileage may be a MPG or two shy of the GM products. I have also hauled a 26' closed trailer with a 944 (aprx. 2400 lbs.) and lots of supplies and tools in it on Florida's flat roads. It requires load levelers (air bags might be nice as well...), but otherwise it tows that around with aplomb as well, much to my surprise. It has 13" disc brakes front and rear, which helps, and the 335 HP engine works well with the trans gears. Mine is 4wd by the way, which may help road manners a bit with the heavy load.

Chris M.

I love my Expedition. There is tons of room in back and I don't have to remove the 3rd row seats because they just fold down automatically. This was one big reason I did not want a Tahoe or Yukon. It is also my family hauler and being able to have those seats up or down at the push of a button is nice.

It has the 5.4 litre and the towing package means it's pre-wired for a controller but you have to buy one and mount it under the dash. You just buy the controller and the correct wiring harness (both available from the brake controller sellers) then splice the wires and plug it into the car. You don't have to crawl around underneath the car running wires. I will be at Mid Ohio so if you haven't found something already come by and say Hi and you can check it out.

GaryM05

I tow a 944 on an open steel trailer with a 2500 Suburban, and have no complaints. Mileage when towing is anywhere from 15+mpg over relatively flat terrain (for Colorado) with a bit of a tailwind, down to about 8 mpg over the Continental Divide out to Salt Lake City with a decent headwind.

I chose the Suburban over the Expedition primarily because of the longer wheelbase (stability when towing = happy driver) and the increased interior volume for hauling more stuff in an enclosed space, although the newer Expeditions with the independent rear suspension handle much better than the Suburban (at least when not towing), and the fold-down third-row seat in those is a very, very nice feature.

I also considered the Durango with the towing gears, but the price of those at the time was about the same as what the Suburban was offered to me for, so I went with the larger vehicle.

disasterman

+1 for the Suburban 2500, it's a monster with the 8 liter. 10k towing capacity!

Veloce Raptor

Sadly, the 8.1 liter is no longer made for the 3/4 ton Suburbans.

disasterman

You are right sir. I just bought one used, boy are they cheap now.

jaje

Normally pickups weigh a good 500-1,000 lbs less than most SUVs built off that same platform, a pickup gives you a much better useable storage space (especially for dirty / heavy items), better access, and the option if you still need covered storage you could always add a shell on the back if needed. Most 4 door pickup cabs can be just as nicely furnished as an SUV without the extra weight girth. It's only major drawback is it can only seat 5 people with a true quad cab. Anyway, the lighter weight also means better mpg than an SUV. Also with a 2500 pickup you can have the option of adding a gooseneck hookup for better stability for larger trailers.

If you are towing an open trailer and sub 6k lb limit a 1/2 ton will do just fine. However, as you approach that limit or have an enclosed trailer I'd definitely get a sway control bar and a use a good weight distributing hitch (maybe even firmer springs / struts upgrade to the truck to prevent squat).

If gas mileage and pulling power are your concern, a 2500HD Silverado with Duramax or even the 6.0 v8 with allison tranny are great choices as well as a Dodge Ram (but only with the Cummins diesel - 600ft lbs!). A gas Ram v8 gets terrible gas mileage and when gas prices get back up to $4 a gallon or higher - you'll be thanking yourself. My buddy has a Ford diesel and does not speak highly of it but then I've heard good things from others (though don't park them in garages unless you had the cc device fixed - research the 10M recalled for this defect).

If you think running E85 (flex fuel) is a good idea - stop right there as E85 will give you less mpg (www.fueleconomy.gov for some pretty surprising numbers showing why it is doomed to fail).

Right now I sport a 2500HD and tow with an open trailer - it has an 8 foot bed with camper top which I camp out in at the track to save money. Lease on my truck ends this summer so I'm going to get a Chevy with Duramax or Ram with Cummins as I will be upgrading to an enclosed trailer likely next year.

Veloce Raptor

Yup. 2006 or 2006 with the 8.1 is the way to go.

Mike Buck

A 2000-2006 Suburban 2500 with the 6.0L is a good balance between towing power and decent fuel economy in an SUV. Too bad the one I thought was still for sale isn't anymore. Well, he is waiting on a check, but most likely sold.

Veloce Raptor

True, but the later 8.1 has 440 lb-ft of torque (sure to spur a debate with Kibort) and gets essentially the same crappy fuel economy as the 6.0 when towing.

MarkPcar

I'd love to find an 8.1L. I had a new Suburban back in '05 and sold it to get a motorhome, now I'm ready to go back (sold the motorhome).

Veloce Raptor

They ROCK. You can regularly find them on Ebay Motors. Stick with the 2005 or 2006's.











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Chris M.

Gas mileage update for you since I just got home from Road Atlanta: averaged 12.8mpg for the roundtrip carrying my 2500 lb. car on an open wood deck trailer with tons of crap in the truck including 3 extra sets of wheels/tires for an estimated load of 5000 lbs.

smlporsche

Although I have a 1 ton Diesel P/U if I had to choose an SUV I would go with and Expedition or a 2500 Suburban.
It's all about wheelbase...